Urban landscape and technical systems in the river valleys of the Right Bank of Ukraine

Abstract

Purpose. To improve the existing classification of residential landscapes and its basis for analyzing the structure of modern urban landscape and technical systems in the river valleys of the Right Bank of Ukraine. Methods. This study is based on the study of anthropogenic landscapes, concepts of geotechnical systems, as well as on the materials of their own field observations, which were carried out during 2008-2021 in the river valleys of the Right Bank of Ukraine. The main research methods used were: landscape photography, mapping, synthesis, comparison and generalization. Results. Based on previous experience and own field observations, the existing classification of residential landscapes has been improved. It is determined that urban landscape and technical systems, which are concentrated in valley-river landscapes, have a number of specific features: the size of urban landscape and technical systems is directly proportional to the parameters of the river valley within which they were formed; radical restructuring of all geocomponents and natural types of areas; formation of a recreational center in the bottom of the river valley after the formation of the city landscape and technical system; dominance of covered areas; constant introduction of new engineering and technical structures into the structure of the city landscape and technical system; vertical differentiation of the urban landscape and technical system and «suppression» of the manifestation of the zonal factor in the urban landscape and technical system. A number of engineering and technical supertypes of urban landscape and technical systems (low-rise, multi-storey, industrial and residential, garden and park, water management, recreational) have been identified. The main criteria for their selection were the degree of «closed» soils with man-made cover, projective vegetation (landscaping) and multi-storey buildings. The peculiarities of the structure of each engineering supertype of urban landscape technical systems are characterized. Conclusions. The formation of large-scale urban landscape and technical systems in the river valleys of the Right Bank of Ukraine hinders natural migration and distribution of biological species, which does not allow the ecological network to fully perform its functions. In further urban planning and urban planning, residential areas that are at the lowest hypsometric level in the river valley should be «unloaded» from redundant engineering structures. In particular, this applies to channel, floodplain, pond-floodplain and floodplain-reservoir types of areas. Increasing the area of restored valley and river landscapes will allow to implement the Emerald Network project faster and thus contribute to the protection of nature at European level.